*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Leon

Ultimately from Latin Leo and leo (“lion”), from Ancient Greek Λέων (Léōn) and λέων (léōn, “lion”), likely ultimately from a non-Indo-European language. Sometimes via other related languages such as French Léon and somet

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

A male given name from Latin or Ancient Greek. · A surname from Latin.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Ultimately from Latin Leo and leo (“lion”), from Ancient Greek Λέων (Léōn) and λέων (léōn, “lion”), likely ultimately from a non-Indo-European language. Sometimes via other related languages such as French Léon and sometimes as a diminutive of related names such as Leonard and Leonardo.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentionLeola
  • Derivation mentionΛέωνgrc
  • Derivation mentionLéonfr
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "Leo"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin Leo"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "Λέων"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek Λέων (Léōn)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "Léon"
      },
      "expansion": "French Léon"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Leo",
      "Leo#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "leo",
      "leo#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "lion",
      "lion"
    ],
    [
      "Λέων",
      "Λέων#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "λέων",
      "λέων#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "lion",
      "lion"
    ],
    [
      "Léon",
      "Léon#French"
    ],
    [
      "Leonard",
      "Leonard#English"
    ],
    [
      "Leonardo",
      "Leonardo#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A male given name from Latin or Ancient Greek.",
        "A surname from Latin."
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 28049
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A city, the capital of the province of Leon, Castile and León, Spain; the former capital of the Kingdom of Leon. · A former polity in the Iberian Peninsula, a kingdom with the city as its capital. · A province of Castile and León, Spain around the city. · A historical region of Spain around the province.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Spanish León, from Latin legiō (“legion”), named for the Legio VII Gemina, which settled there. In reference to the New York town and Texan river, taken from the former Spanish kingdom. The Texan lake is named for the river. The Floridian county is named for the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. The Texan county is named for Martin de Leon, founder of Victoria, Texas. The town in Monroe Co., Wisconsin, was named for the Mexican city. The Iowan town was changed to honor the "Fighting Doctor" of the Mexican–American War David Camden de Leon after it was discovered that Iowa already had a city named Independence. The Kansan town was named for the one in Iowa. The California town was named for the nearby Leon Mine. Doublet of legion via Old French.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Root classification mention*leǵ-ine-pro
  • Borrowed-form mentionLeónes
  • Derivation mentionlegiōla
  • Doublet mentionlegionen

This page abbreviates 15 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*leǵ-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "León"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish León"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "legiō",
        "4": "",
        "5": "legion"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin legiō (“legion”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "legion"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of legion"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "León",
      "León#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "legiō",
      "legio#Latin"
    ],
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      "legion",
      "legion"
    ],
    [
      "legion",
      "legion#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A city, the capital of the province of Leon, Castile and León, Spain; the former capital of the Kingdom of Leon.",
        "A former polity in the Iberian Peninsula, a kingdom with the city as its capital.",
        "A province of Castile and León, Spain around the city.",
        "A historical region of Spain around the province."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
name

A former viscounty in Brittany, in northwestern France. · A cultural region of the department of Finistère, Brittany, France, around the former polity. · A surname from French.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Breton Leon and French Léon.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentionLeonbr
  • Derivation mentionLéonfr
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
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      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "br",
        "3": "Leon"
      },
      "expansion": "Breton Leon"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "Léon"
      },
      "expansion": "French Léon"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Leon",
      "Leon#Breton"
    ],
    [
      "Léon",
      "Léon#French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A former viscounty in Brittany, in northwestern France.",
        "A cultural region of the department of Finistère, Brittany, France, around the former polity.",
        "A surname from French."
      ],
      "tags": [
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Leon →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-TGVvbg